10 Reasons To Visit Bratislava

In September a group of us visited Bratislava for the weekend. People keep asking me why. But as I said in my last few posts on Bratislava (here and here), why not??

It turns out that Bratislava is a beautiful hidden gem overshadowed by neighbouring Vienna, Prague and Budapest. I wouldn’t be surprised if it soon becomes the new place to go in Europe for a city break.

Here’s 10 reasons why you need to visit Bratislava…

1. The weather

It depends when you visit but we went to the capital of Slovakia on the last weekend of September and it was so so warm. Autumn 2016 was a mild one throughout Europe but Bratislava was so much warmer than the UK. We didn’t need to wear a jacket at all during the day, which wasn’t the case back home in London.

2. Wine, of course

Slovakia is an unknown wine producing country and I am sure soon their wines will get their time in the spotlight because they were absolutely incredible. It was 100x better than a wine you would get in a pub in London at a tenth of the price. I paid 70 cents for a small glass in one bar and it was really good wine too!

They also have amazing ‘wine style’ soft drinks like Vinea, which is basically Shloer – so yummy!

3. The atmosphere is great

I felt so chilled in Bratislava as the city is just so laid back. Everything moves so slowly which was SO nice compared to running around London like a mad woman 99% of the time. There’s so many bars and cafes with outdoor seating which we would sit at and drink Aperol Spritz (for 2.50 euros a glass!). I didn’t want to move, I was so so relaxed.

4. It won’t break to the bank

Although they have the Euro Bratislava is still pretty cheap, especially compared to London. Over 3 days I spent less than £80. You can get a decent meal for from £6-10 and alcoholic drinks from as little as 70p.

5. It’s safeOk so I’m not a Slovakian crime expert so don’t quote me on this one but throughout our trip I generally felt really safe. Safer than I have done in other European cities I’ve visited and especially compared to London.

I felt safe walking around there at night and no one ever bothered us. It’s a small place and the crime rate is low and there is a significant police presence.

6. It’s the perfect place for a blogger

There are so many amazing photography opportunities, such as the beautiful views from Bratislava Castle as pictured above.

You don’t have to walk far to find an ‘instagram’ worthy background as there’s so many colourful buildings and doors and some very tasteful graffiti artwork. Also we were very fortunate with the weather and lighting during our September visit.

Here are some snaps we got at the markets in the Old Town and a book shelf in a ‘hipster style’ cafe we visited for breakfast. (I actually read online that the ‘hipster’ trend is huge in Bratislava at the moment haha!)

The stalls in the main square are a great place to pick up souvenirs.

7. It’s beautiful

Bratislava is absolutely stunning. I recommend walking up to fairytale style Bratislava Castle and admire the beautiful views across the small city.

The buildings and the cobbled streets in the old town are so pretty too. I wanted to get photos next to every door…

We basically spent our whole trip in the Old Town as it’s such an amazing place to hang out. There’s so many outdoor bars and cafes and everywhere is so lively.

We spent hours just walking around the Old Town as there’s so much to see and do and as I mentioned it’s so relaxed.

Examples of the cheap prices in Bratislava. 2 euros for a Tequila Sunrise!!

9. FOODMy favourite part!

I recommend stopping by Orbis in the Old Town for some of the best chips you will ever try. Every portion of chips comes with sauce and you get to choose from an amazing selection of sauces, one even has whiskey in it!

We feasted on Slovak dishes such as Goulash with dumplings, Halušky(similar to Gnocchi) and Schnitzel.

I love trying unusual foods so I tested out the Lavender flavoured ice cream on behalf of the group, and it was wonderful! (below).

10. The nightlife

Bratislava can be popular for stag parties and even though we did see a few, they were pretty chilled out. The nightlife is great in Bratislava. We made the most of the 70 cent wine and 2 euro cocktails.

We went to a club called Masquerade which was popular with locals and there were also people there who had travelled from Vienna, Austria for the night as it’s only an hour away. Which is a good point to note, as Bratislava is so close to Vienna you can do 2 cities in one trip! It’s also really close to Hungary and Czech Republic if you wanted to really extend your trip.